Overlapping surgeries is a practice that has been used for many years by healthcare providers (such as hospitals and surgical centers). This practice generally refers to situations where one lead attending surgeon is...more
On March 19, Governor Doug Ducey issued an executive order delaying “all nonessential or elective surgeries, including elective dental surgeries, that utilize personal protective equipment or ventilators” with the purpose of...more
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) of Health & Human Services is recommending that CMS make a major reduction to the amount it pays hospitals for certain kinds of surgery. ...more
On February 23, 2015, the District Court in Baney v. Fick held that a patient’s complications arising from elective surgery do not fall under the purview of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1395dd,...more
On July 21, 2014, I posted the proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, and described the intent by CMS to eliminate global surgery. On November 13, 2014, CMS issued the final 2015 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, and...more
In the recently proposed 2015 Physician Fee Schedule, CMS devoted significant resources to discussing potentially misvalued services, which I believe is code for places where CMS would like to reduce reimbursement. One of the...more
On May 30, 2014, the Departmental Appeals Board (DAB) issued a decision invalidating the long-standing National Coverage Determination (NCD) prohibiting Medicare payment for transsexual surgery (now known as gender...more
In This Issue: - Introduction - The Facts About Drug Therapy - Spinal Injections Don't Measure Up - Surgery as a Last Resort - Watchful Waiting Can Be Your Friend - Introduction: Back pain is...more